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2008 SESSION


HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 136
Celebrating the life of Sergeant Mason Lee Lewis.

 

Agreed to by the House of Delegates, January 11, 2008
Agreed to by the Senate, January 17, 2008

 

WHEREAS, United States Army Sergeant Mason Lee Lewis died in the valiant service of his country on November 16, 2007, in Baghdad, Iraq; and

WHEREAS, Mason Lewis attended Gloucester High School, where he was a member of the ROTC; and even as a boy, he knew he wanted to be a soldier and his family often called him "Little Rambo"; and

WHEREAS, Mason Lewis was a member of the Virginia National Guard before joining the Army in November 2002; and

WHEREAS, Sergeant Lewis, aged 26, was a five-year veteran small arms artillery repairer assigned to the 26th Brigade Support Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division based at Fort Stewart, Georgia; and

WHEREAS, a sincere and amicable person, Sergeant Lewis touched the lives of everyone who knew him well, both in his hometown and abroad; and he made many Iraqi friends and was a loyal and trusted friend to his fellow soldiers; and

WHEREAS, while stationed in Baghdad, Sergeant Lewis was charged with training Iraqi troops so that they could effectively defend and protect their own country; and

WHEREAS, Sergeant Lewis was scheduled to return to the United States in March 2008, and his family was planning at his homecoming a celebration of all the holidays he had missed while in Iraq; and

WHEREAS, a resourceful and disciplined soldier and leader, Mason Lewis aspired to advance in rank, and his command was about to notify him that he would be promoted to sergeant, but he tragically lost his life in a noncombat training exercise before he could receive the news; he was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star for his meritorious service; and

WHEREAS, a compassionate and loving young man, Sergeant Lewis was devoted to his parents Jeffrey and Lisa Lewis; his two sisters Ashleigh and Whitney; his brother Jeff; his maternal and paternal grandparents; and his numerous other relatives and friends; and

WHEREAS, Mason Lewis enjoyed the outdoors, learning about guns, riding motorcycles, listening to music, working on vehicles, and hanging out with his friends; and

WHEREAS, the death of Sergeant Lewis is a reminder of the perils faced daily by the thousands of Americans who serve in our armed forces overseas and whose devotion to duty places them in harm's way; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of a courageous and patriotic Virginian, Sergeant Mason Lee Lewis; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Sergeant Mason Lee Lewis as an expression of the high regard in which his memory is held by the members of the General Assembly and the citizens of Virginia.